In some systems, an email payment gateway may require making email-based payments with a strict sequence of actions and processes within an e-commerce system. To create greater flexibility for vendors and greater variety in the functionality of an email-based payment system, the e-commerce system may need greater flexibility in the processes implemented within its e-commerce system. Vendors and customers may request more choices in the process and more flexibility in the arrangement of the system. An e-commerce system may receive a mass of email based transactions with different requirements. An e-commerce system that can parse different email-based transactions into one of a plurality of appropriate process categories would be welcome in the marketplace.
Currently, vendors wishing to adopt an email-based payment method must integrate their existing system with the new email-based system. For many vendors this may represent an unwelcome disruption to their own process and redundancies between the two systems. Some vendors may not wish to disrupt or relocate their payment processing relationship to adopt an additional payment option. A system that allows a vendor access to email-based payment validation technology, but still allows them to maintain their existing payment processing information would address this vendor requirement.
There is a segment of online vendors that require a complex and constantly shifting configuration of their payment processing systems. They need to be able to frequently change the layout of their systems. Substituting gateways and changing the criteria for processing payments may be fundamental to their process. Use of multiple payment gateways, variations based on segmentation of their process and distinctions between location, payment amounts and quantities may require that they maintain full control of the payment processing relationship and therefore cannot delegate that relationship to another party.
Online security is a major concern for any vendor. In an email-based checkout process security tokens may be used. Allowing the vendor to oversee the relationship with the payment process provides the merchant greater assurances and control, but still allows them access to an email-based payment system. By maintaining the payment process within the vendor's system it also limits the amount of communication required to complete an email-based transaction thereby reducing the vendor's exposure.
Email-based payment processing may benefit if components of the system could be managed by a third party or could offer services related to payment processing and allow the customer to select those options by sending a secure email. Currently email-based payment processing is a service where only payments can be made by email but all other ancillary requests are URL based. An e-commerce system that could integrate those commands into the same email request system would be a welcome extension to the logic of email based payment processing.